In my previous paper, it was reported that the isolation rates of GBS in the vagina tend to increase by age. This study was done to assess whether it was an important facter for increase of the isolation rate of GBS so that lactobacilli became less predominant and the vaginal PH became higher by age. And the influences of lactobacilli on other flora and the variations of other flora by age were studied clinically and bacteriologically.
The subjects of this study were 218 normal, healthy women who visited the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Central Hospital of Japanese National Railways between October 1977 and September 1980. By discharge samples obtained from the vaginal lateral wall, aerobe, anaerobe and fungi were cultured and isolated. Vaginal PH was determined by a paper method using BCG and BTB as an indicator.
The distribution of microorganisms in 218 women has been shown in the descending order of frequency as Lactobacillus (53.7%), S. epidermidis (38.7%), E. coli (22.1%) and Corynebacterium (18.9%) were present as heavy growth. GBS was isolated in 6.5% of cultures.
GBS, E. coli, Bacteroides and S. aureus were isolated significantly higher from lactobacillus-negative women than from lactobacillus-positive women.
The isolation rates of lactobacilli tend to increase and vaginal PH tend to become significantly higher by age.
In our findings, age-influences on vaginal microbial flora were evident. Significantly higher rates of lactobacilli were detected among younger women than among older ones. But GBS were detected more frequently in older women than in younger ones.
No significant variations of isolation rates of E. coli and Bacteroides by age were recognized, but S. aureus were isolated frequently among women older than 50 years.
The growth of GBS and S. aureus was suggested to be restricted by lactobacillus. But candida albicans was isolated frequently among younger women and its isolation rates tend to decrease by age. It has been suggested that lactobacillus did not restrict the growth of candida. Lactobacillus and candida would be able to coexist in the vagina.
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